The single most important factor in getting readers’ attention is a strong, unique, and personality-heavy narrative voice. Voice is what defines both your story and your narrating character. You can think of voice as your story’s unique fingerprint. If your book were a band, this would be the sound that makes it recognizable. So if […]
June 13, 2012 by 45 Comments CharactersShould You Give Your Antagonist a POV?
We write our stories because we’re enthralled by our characters and the conundrums they get themselves into. Our protagonists’fight to overcome inner and outer conflict offers a boundless source of chewy material for us to explore. Likewise, our antagonists—whether they’re psychotic megalomaniacs or just grumpy older sisters—often intrigue us just as much as do our […]
May 30, 2012 by 16 Comments CharactersWould Your Story Benefit From a Distant Narrator?
One of the reasons readers love books is because books allow us to not just observe characters, but to get inside their heads and see how they tick. This is the reason for the modern popularity of what’s known as the “deep,” “tight,” or “close” POV, in which the narrative itself, whether it’s told in […]
March 14, 2012 by 49 Comments Point of ViewThe Biggest Danger of Multiple POVs
An author’s choice about which and how many characters to feature as point-of-view narrators is crucial to the story. The narrating characters will control the tone and flow of the story, and largely decide whether or not the book works. It’s true there are many advantages to multiple-narrator books. Not only do they allow you […]
December 28, 2011 by 18 Comments NarrativeHow to Choose the Right Words for Your Story’s Tone
Words are the link between the ethereal realm of our imaginations and the concrete reality of our books. So it’s no surprise that our choice of words is the single most important factor in our presentation of our stories. It’s also one of the toughest, since there are millions of words for us to choose […]
November 16, 2011 by 17 Comments Point of ViewThe #1 Factor to Consider When Choosing POV Characters
How do you go about choosing your POV characters? This is one of the most important decisions you can make in planning your book. The characters who narrate will largely control the flow, tone, and focus of your story. Change the POV characters, and you’ll likely change the entire story. And yet this is a […]
November 2, 2011 by 24 Comments NarrativeShould You Ever Use Unusual Narrative Forms?
When readers open a book, they usually know what they’re going to be getting. First- or third-person narrative voices, told in the past tense, in a linear timeline, are the most common narrative forms. Readers are familiar with these forms and comfortable with them, and, because these forms allow a nice blend of flexibility and […]
September 21, 2011 by 41 Comments Outlining Your NovelBenefits of Outlining Your Novel
Welcome to the last installment in our series of video/audio trailers, offering a sneak peek into the first chapter of Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success. Be sure to sign up for the last of our mini prize giveaways, before next week’s Grand Prize, worth over $400. Leave a comment to register for […]
June 22, 2011 by 24 Comments CharactersThe Perils of a Passive Protagonist
The pitfall of a passive protagonist is easier to fall into than writers might sometimes think. Whether your book is a high-speed espionage thriller or a cozy romance, the fuel that makes it run is action. Something is happening to your protagonist—presumably the something of his life (because if not, why tell this story?). And […]
June 8, 2011 by 31 Comments Point of ViewIntroduce Important POVs as Soon as Possible
By the time readers get through your first couple chapters, they will have made an emotional and intellectual investment in your main characters—your important POVs. If they’ve read this far and plan to continue reading, they’ve found the characters introduced in these chapters to be worth their time and attention. Now… imagine their annoyance when, […]
